Quote of the Week

All the major economic sectors in the lower Clarence Valley are dependent to a considerable extent on understanding and protecting the estuary’s and floodplain’s natural processes and values. [DLWC, Umwelt (Australia Pty Ltd, 2003, Clarence Estuary Management Plan: The Clarence Estuary - A Valued Asset]

Keeping the pens steeled in Iluka

Clarence Valley Independent, letter to the Editor:

The author of this letter asked me to note that to be factually correct line fourteen should actually have read “28 of the 50 accompanying species that make up the endangered ecological community of which there now exists only 200 hectares in the whole of N.S.W.”

Des Euen warned off Yamba by an online supporter

Not that Des Euen needed any hint that many Yamba and Iluka residents would be against the industrialisation of the Clarence River estuary…..

Facebook, 23 June 2016

Mr. Euen is rather sensitive about the few comments on the Australian Infrastructure Developments Pty Ltd Facebook page.

He recently removed comments from two Clarence Valley residents (at least one of whom attended the “summit” he organised at Casino on 2 June 2016) but left his accusations of selfishness against individuals living in the region which would be most affected by this highhanded attempt to make his fortune at the expense of so many ordinary people.

Here's one Clarence Valley councillor losing votes ahead of local government elections in September 2016

Only around 77 days until the Clarence Valley local government election and this is one councillor who has been losing votes all year….

Letter to the Editor in The Daily Examiner on 8 April 2016:

Maclean 'sold out' by council

Councillor Andrew Baker has clearly underestimated the local position in Maclean in regards to council flogging off its strategically valuable property at No 1 MacNaughton Place, Maclean.

As reported on P.3 of Views (March 25) he states that, "The anxiety generated by the sale appears to have subsided" in relation to "the concerns in town about the sale of the building as part of the council's office rationalisation".

No, Andrew, there has been no subsidence of 'anxiety'; the fact is that 'the anxiety' never got off the ground in the first place as many people in Maclean are still quite unaware of what Council is up to here, it was all done so very quietly.

Let's make it quite clear - along with other properties in Maclean, Council is selling off our prime waterfront property at No 1 MacNaughton Place, right in the heart of Maclean's riverfront and historic precinct, and whisking the funds away upriver to help pay for the new "super depot" in Grafton.

It's a prime case of asset stripping, and an open and shut case of being yet another kick in the guts for our town.

There is every reason why this valuable waterfront property should remain in council's (public) ownership - it is in a vitally strategic riverfront position, right in the heart of a prime historic precinct, and integral to the future CBD development for Maclean.

In short, we already own it and it is a property vital to Maclean's future development.

No problem to rent it for now and keep it for future needs when a more enlightened mindset will actually plan our town.

Maclean you are being dudded yet again, "sold out" is the term.

In this case, Cr Baker's plan is that we will end up with a thin strip of land with the levee wall through it.

Fully fits Council's new policy for Maclean, which is "Something Is Better Than Nothing".

Warren Rackham, Maclean

Australian Federal Election 2016: the Nationals funding bandwagon rolls on along NSW North Coast

National MPs and candidates on the NSW North Coast are rolling out the funding promises with a vengeance now the old 2013 Debt & Deficit Disaster campaign slogan has been hidden under the bed.

Sitting MP Kevin Hogan in the Page electorate:

$1.8 million for a boardwalk along Maclean's Riverside Precinct

$200,000 on CCTV coverage of Grafton and South Grafton business districts

$5,300 for the purchase and installation of two reverse cycle air conditioners in Casino's Community Men's Shed 

$1 million for rebuilding the Woolgoolga Surf Life-Saving Club

New mobile phone towers at Ramornie, Nammoona, Yorklea and Kyogle

$2 million to replace wooden bridges in Kyogle

$500,000 towards an ampitheatre at Casino

Federal candidate for Richmond Matthew Fraser:

$1 million for a second story on Kingscliff's Salt Surf Life Saving Club

Sitting MP Luke Hartsuyker in The Cowper electorate:

$12,000 for Capacity Building for Sustainable and Biological Farming in the Bellingen/Coffs Harbour region

$45,400 Local Blueberry Industry Market Segmentation Research to improve targeting of behaviour change tools for Best Practice

$12,000 in grants for Coffs Harbour community radio station CHYFM

$27,695 training grant for Macksville business Mid Coast Trucks

$4,700 Reap Coffs Harbour

$4,460 Pregnancy Care Coffs Harbour
$1,619 Coffs and Woolgoolga Mental Health and Wellbeing Support Group
$3,950 Sanctuary Australia Foundation

$2,250 Special Needs Support Group
$4,004The Friends of the North Coast Regional Botanic Garden
$2,500 Swimming North Coast – Coffs Harbour  

$2,800 Boambee East Community Centre

$3,333 South Coffs Community Garden  

Somewhere in all this is Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s $25 million promise to the Northern Rivers and Mid-North Coast - rather vaguely called the Coalition jobs package for NSW North Coast and aimed at new, creative and innovative local businesses in the Page, Cowper and Lyne electorates. 

Of course all these businesses, from Taree and Port Macquarie up to Lismore and Ballina, will be competing with each other for a slice of this relatively small amount of money.

* My apologies to North Coast Nationals MPs and candidates if I omitted any funding pledges which have been made to date, but that's the sort of thing that will sometimes occur when election campaign press releases aren't sent out to social media.

Clarence Valley Council will pursue doof and rave hosts - "no ifs, buts or maybes"

June 16, 2016

Rave party property owner cops maximum fine

THE Clarence Valley Council has promised to take legal action against any landowner who hosts a ‘doof’, ‘rave’ or similar party on their property without proper approval.

Council this week issued a $3000 fine (the maximum allowable) against a property owner who hosted an unauthorised rave party at Newton Boyd where 24-year-old David Gallagher

of Green Pigeon died.

Council general manager, Scott Greensill, said council would go after any landowner who hosted similar events without approval.

“Rules are in place in order to make sure public events are safe, that they have proper medical facilities, proper effluent disposal, traffic management, safe food service and a range of other issues,” he said.

“We will not allow people to flout rules that govern people’s safety.

“If landowners think they can host illegal events like this without penalty they are completely misguided.

“If they choose to break the law we will prosecute, no ifs, buts or maybes.

“If you’re a landowner in one of these remote locations and you are approached by these operators, tell them you’re not interested and notify police. If you don’t, you could face severe penalties.”

Mr Greensill said council’s investigations into the weekend event were continuing and it would work with other agencies, including police, to determine what other sanctions could be applied.

“We make no apology for what some might consider a heavy-handed approach,” he said.

“A young person who attended this latest festival is dead and their family grieving. We will do what we can to make sure other families don’t have to go through the same pain.”

Saffin promises Labor will establish a headspace centre in the Clarence Valley

Shadow Minister For Families And Payments, Shadow Minister For Disability Reform & Member for Jagajaga Jenny Macklin and Labor Candidate For Page Janelle Saffin (pictured above), joint media release, 14 June 2016:

LABOR WILL ESTABLISH A HEADSPACE CENTRE IN THE CLARENCE VALLEY

Shadow Minister for Families and Payments, Jenny Macklin and Labor candidate for Page, Janelle Saffin today announced that a Shorten Labor Government will provide funding for the development of a Headspace Centre in the Clarence Valley which will provide assistance to young people experiencing mental health issues.

“There is a clear gap in mental health services in the Clarence Valley, and this $1.8 million in funding will address that gap by ensuring local young people can access the help they need,” Ms Saffin said.

“Establishing a Headspace Centre will give young people in Grafton and the Clarence Valley the same support as people in Coffs Harbour and Lismore.”

Ms Saffin said the Clarence Valley community had been rocked by the death of 11 young people from suicide in just 12 months.

“There are a number of factors behind the high levels of youth suicide and mental health problems on the North Coast. These include high levels of unemployment, cuts to other youth services, and substance abuse.

“We cannot turn a blind eye to this reality and pretend it’s not happening. Ignoring the mental health needs of young people is effectively casting them adrift.

“That’s why I am so passionate about this issue, and so determined to make sure all young people in the Northern Rivers and North Coast have access to services such as Headspace.

“I have fought for the Headspace service for our region, and secured the Lismore Headspace. I have since argued that the Clarence Valley needs one as well, and if I am elected I will deliver it.”

Shadow Minister for Families and Payments, Jenny Macklin, said regionally delivered and funded services were vital to preventing mental illness and building stronger, more resilient communities.

____________________________________

And Nationals MP for Page for the last three years, Kevin Hogan scrambles to catch up……

The Daily Examiner, 15 June 2016, page 6:

Federal Member for Page Kevin Hogan said an array of extra mental health services were about to be provided in the Clarence Valley due to extra resourcing.

"Mental health is a very serious issue, every suicide in our community a tragedy," he said.

"Following a community meeting in December last year I organised a Consultation Workshop on May 23. This brought together local agencies to decide how the extra resources should be allocated in the Valley.

"There will be an outreach of Headspace from Coffs operating in the Clarence before the end of the year. There will also be more resources allocated at the acute care level.

"Many good mental health services exist in the Clarence Valley. It was identified that many people were not aware of the current services."